The Republican file photo | Michael S. GordonMelvin Jones III, shown at his arraignment in Springfield District Court on charges related to a domestic disturbance earlier this yer, has been charged with conspiracy to sell crack cocaine.

The charges further muddy the waters for Jones - who had cocaine possession charges brought in connection with the traffic stop; those charges were later dropped. But, in the meantime, Jones managed to pick up two arrests for shoplifting and domestic assault, had his bail revoked and is now being held behind bars pending resolution of those charges.

To complicate matters, Jones has a lawsuit pending against the Police Department in U.S. District Court for assault and civil rights violations. Jones is black, while the officers in question are white.

One of the officers involved in 2009 arrest, retired patrolman Jeffrey M. Asher, was fired and faces criminal assault charges in Chicopee District Court. Asher is scheduled to be tried beginning Nov. 28.

For his part, Jones is charged with Alfred and Raheim Reid, 31 and 36 respectively, of Springfield, with selling drugs to an FBI informant on videotape, according to District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni. Investigators with the FBI Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force said Jones sold the drugs on Dec. 2 and Dec. 13.

The Reid brothers helped facilitate the deals and supply the drugs, according to prosecutors. The brothers were arrested by task force members Wednesday morning and were arraigned in Hampden Superior Court and ordered held in lieu of $50,000 cash bail. Jones was being held in county jail without right to bail.

“The pending District Court complaint in which Melvin Jones is a named victim will remain,” Mastroianni said, referring to the Asher prosecution.

Shawn Allyn, a lawyer for Jones in his civil case in federal court, argued that Mastroianni brought the charges so close to Asher’s trial date to sully Jones’ credibility, already potentially wobbly because of his prior criminal record, and his recent arrests for allegedly stealing pants from a J.C. Penney outlet in January and a tussle with his girlfriend earlier this year. The latter charge prompted the revocation of his bail.

“He’s just trying to tank the Asher case. If he was serious about prosecuting Asher, he would have indicted him. The Feds rejected the (drug) case,” Allyn said.

Asher was charged after Jones’ criminal defense lawyer sought a complaint through a district court clerk magistrate last year. Three other officers involved in the traffic stop were cleared of criminal

conduct but temporarily suspended by Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet in connection with it.

An amateur videotape of the incident on Rifle Street showed Asher apparently striking Jones with his flashlight after Jones tried to wheel away from police. According to the police report, Asher struck Jones after Jones grabbed another officer’s gun. Jones has denied this.

The trafficking case was referred to Superior Court by the U.S. Attorney’s office two weeks ago, according to Mastroianni. That office declined to spearhead the prosecution despite the alleged videotape evidence, he said. A supervisor in the local U.S. Attorney’s office could not be reached for comment.

Mastroianni disputed bringing the case against Jones and the Reids as a way to interfere with the Asher prosecution.

“The best way to address that case was to get it to trial as soon as possible. And that’s what we did. I’ve demonstrated my commitment to prosecuting the case in which Melvin Jones is the victim,” he said.

FBI supervisor Mark Karangekis said an ongoing civil rights review by the U.S. Dept. of Justice in the traffic stop and alleged beating of Jones will “absolutely not” be affected by the criminal charges against Jones.

“We’re continuing to monitor the state prosecution of Asher and report the results to the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division,” Karangekis said.

Allyn has said the domestic dispute was overblown by police who were acutely aware of Jones’ history with the department. Allyn has said he expected the charges against his client to be dropped at a previously scheduled hearing Thursday.